Zootopia: White Flag
by Wickler
Summary: Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are not the kind of team you'd expect. The first animals of their kind to join the ZPD, Fox and Rabbit, are now partners in law and best friends outside their duties. For them, life couldn't be simpler. But that was all about to change. DISCLAIMER: MOST CHARACTERS IN THIS BOOK ARE BY DISNEY. I TAKE NO CREDIT TO THEIR CREATION. Cover Img: Aru Urara
1. Chapter 1

p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"strongZootopia/strong. A large city where anthropomorphic predators and prey live in harmony and where "anyone could be anything"... at least that's what Nickolas Wilde over heard when he first met the rabbit-cop, Judy Hopps. The pair weren't on the best of terms during their first meeting. One was an over-excited cop while the other was a con-artist and a pessimist to say the least. Over a string of unfortunate and elongated events the two animals were able to accept each other and work together as a team, to the point where the cop had asked the con-artist to be her partner./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"And he said yes./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"strong'·.,¸,• •,¸,.·''·.,¸,• •,¸,.·'/strong/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"The time was about four-thirty. The smell of the morning fog still lingered through the city as a new business day begun. Although most busy animals get up at this time to head to work, a particular fox still wasn't used to his recently new schedule. In a new apartment that had only just been moved into, the only pieces of furniture were that of a petite table with a clock radio, a small mini-fridge and a rustic armchair, which the fox had been using over the past couple of weeks to sleep on. There was no doubting that his attitude had been poor over that time due to the lack of sleep and irritability of trying to get some shut-eye without being uncomfortable./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Nick..." A small voice echoed through the empty room. "emNick/em?" Tiny paws made their way up the armchair and toward the fox's ear. "emNick/em... rise and shine you sleepy fox!"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Only just beginning to stir, Nick let out a large yawn and sat up a little, the ceiling light being turned on blinded him for a few seconds./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Morning, silly." The voice said. Edging his eyes open as much as he could, he spotted the silhouette of a young rabbit standing in front of him. Using his right paw to block out the light, the fox smiled a little./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Hey, Carrots." Nick said softly, his voice raspy due to it's neglect during the night. Although Judy was very determined to help him get into the sleep-work-sleep routine, he doubted it would actually work. After all, he knew he was a stubborn fox./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Ready for another day at the ZPD, partner?" She said quickly, trying to brighten up the morning for him. Nick didn't know how she did it; being so energetic of course. Even when she was exhausted, Judy still tried to put on a brave face. He wished he had that kind of a mind set, especially when she was standing right in front of him with her uniformem already/em on./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""I wish." Nick responded blandly. "Five more minutes?" He begged, yawning a little./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Oh come on, Nick. You gotta get up or your never will!" The fox smirked./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Good. I'll see you at lunch." About to lie back down, the rabbit's ears drooped a little, in return making the fox stay attentive toward her a little longer./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Nick..." She begun, her voice turning a little somber. "You didn't get much sleep again, did you?" Knowing there was really no point in lying, the fox shook his head and grunted a little in frustration. The bunny sighed. "You have to get a bed, Nick. Or at least something more comfortable than emthat/em."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Hey-" Nick retorted teasingly. "Don't talk about Dianna that way!" He said, running his paws over the arms of the chair./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""You named you arm-chair?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Wha- do you blame me? I'm living on my own with no other animal to talk to but you... " Nick answered with a dramatic tone in his voice. "Besides, you live how many blocks away?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"The bunny squinted up at the ceiling quickly, mumbling numbers under her breath before quickly returning back to the conversation./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Twelve blocks." Judy responded promptly./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Exactly, Twelve- wait, you counted?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Considering I've been walking here for the past two weeks to get you to work on time... yeah, I counted." It was true. After moving into the apartment for his new job, the bunny had dropped around almost every day to wake him up, especially when they had done a stake out the night before. The fox had found no reason to not give her a spare key... which most mornings he openly admitted he regretted doing. Nick was a little surprised, but swiftly returned back to reality./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Anyways, what's the time?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Four-thirty-five." Judy responded, taking a glance at the clock radio that sat opposite them./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Nick grunted again. "Why so early? Normally you get me up at emfive-thirty/em-"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""That is for me to know and for you to find out." The bunny hastily responded. "Now come on!"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"The fox cocked an eyebrow, a questionable look on his face. It wasn't often that Judy had announced she had some-what of a surprise for him. The last time she did that, she had given him a new pair of aviator sunglasses, which of course he still used to that day./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""This isn't some very early meeting with Chief Bogo that I wasn't told about, is it?" The fox asked, stretching in his place./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Wha-Nick, no! Of course not! I wouldn't get your hopes up for that!" The bunny retorted. "Wait... you really think I would do that?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"The fox chuckled. "No, Whiskers. I was just teasing you." Judy's face played a sigh of relief./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Nick slowly made is way off the arm-chair, beginning to shiver as he did so. He only had a thin t-shirt on with a pair of shorts./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Geez," He stated. "It's really cold..."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""All the better to get your uniform on quickly then, huh?" The young rabbit smirked a little, a hand on her hip. Nick smirked back./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""emSly Bunny/em."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; text-align: center;"strong'·.,¸,• •,¸,.·''·.,¸,• •,¸,.·'/strong/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Where exactly are we going?" Nick straightened up his uniform with his right paw, specifically his badge. He seemed to find that he could never put it on straight without the help of Judy. In his left hand he carried a small ice box that held his 'supposed' lunch. Judy suspected that he only had it on his mammal so that she would get off his back about not eating anything during the day./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""If I told you, I'd ruin the surprise." The rabbit responded happily./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"The pair walked across yet another set of traffic lights, taking the total of the blocks they had walked down, to four. It was notably cold outside on the streets too. Normally in this kind of weather, Nick would try wearing a longer sleeved top... but he always hated the feeling that they had on his fur, so he would revert back to his green, short sleeved, button up shirt despite the temperature./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"His navy-blue police uniform on the other hand was different. While the normal long sleeve shirts he wore irritated his fur, his uniform was surprisingly comfortable to wear. The insides of the sleeves were a nice smooth fabric. It wasn't the kind that would rub against or clip at his fur like, for some reason, his other shirts did. Perhaps he just needed a wardrobe update?/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"After a few more minutes of walking, Judy stopped suddenly, Nick having to double back in order to meet back with her./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""What's up, Carrots?" He questioned the bunny, inspecting her body language. Her ears weren't droopy, so she definitely wasn't sad. Her nose wasn't twitching either, indicating she wasn't scared also. Judy's feet laid flat on the ground, unlike when she was upset or frustrated... so obviously Nick had done nothing wrong to cause the bunny's actions./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""It's Jumbeaux's Café..." Judy said dreamily, staring into the store that was yet to be opened./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Oh, yeah!" Nick responded after a quick glance up at the store sign. The door in front of them was huge with a large frame of wood surrounding clean glass. Usually the only time either of them had seen the Cafe was when it was buzzing with customers of the Elephant kind. It seemed eerily odd to see the establishment so quiet and empty. "I was trying to get a jumbo-"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""You were emtrying/em to start a hustle the first time we met." The bunny cut in, raising an eye brow at the fox./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""For the record, I didn't try: I emdid/em." He gave the bunny a sly smirk, his signature move that allowed him to get away with... almost anything. The young bunny's expression slowly transformed into a smile as she began to remember old memories./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Yeah, I should have seen it coming. I just can't believe it's been a little over nine months since..." She looked back at the fox, smiling. "And look at how you've changed. You completed training... and now we're partners." Nick smiled largely./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""I only got through training because I had a tough little bunny helping me." He nudged her softly. "If I was doing that for myself... I don't think I would have passed a single assignment. I probably would have quit right at the beginning."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Don't be like that, Nick!" She said. "I only provided encouragement, you did the rest."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""You did more than encourage me, Carrots." He bent down to her level, giving her a thankful smile. "You changed my life."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Judy smiled back, leaning in and hugging the fox tightly to which he willingly returned the affection. After a few seconds the pair broke apart, Judy rubbing her right eye for a second before beginning to walk off again. Nick swore he saw a small tear there before she rubbed it away. Maybe he was just seeing things... but he was definitely curious to why she may have teared up in the first place. What specific thing triggered that?/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Quickly catching up to the rabbit, Nick thought it would be best not to inquire about what had occurred. Despite the fact that curiosity was eating him alive from the inside out, he really didn't want to push Judy to tell him anything. Of course he was concerned, but he didn't want to say something stupid due to his lack of sleep./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Once a few more minutes had past, the bunny glanced down at her phone, checking the time./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"[4:58am]/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"She nodded satisfactorily and looked up to her right and stopped walking. Another cafe stood in front of her titled emThe Fox and Hound tea-room/em. The cafe's sign was traced in a new coat of gold paint, the font of the name written with beautiful cursive letters that was still able to be understood. She'd been planning to take the fox to the cafe ever since she found it through 'Mammal Pages'./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Are we stopping here, Cottontail?" Nick camee up beside her and looked up at the cafe name. He raised an eyebrow due to the title. "Fox and Hound Tea-room, huh?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Yes, and yes." Judy replied, a hand placed on her hip./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Is it even open?" Nick walked up to the cafe's window, peering inside to see if any mammal was in there./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""It should be in a few minutes. I booked a table for five."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""At night?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""No, now silly!" She exclaimed, giggling to herself./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""I didn't think places like this opened so early." He stared at the door. It was surprisingly too small for any tall mammal to get though. "Why the small door?" The fox asked, pointing to the entrance./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""First of all, emFox/em and emHound/em, Nick. This cafe is made for smaller mammals, mainly of the canine kind." Nick stared up at the store, his ears perking up and his tail beginning to wag slightly. He'd never been into a cafe specifically made for smaller mammals before. " And secondly: no, they normally don't. But this one normally does open early, considering the amount of wolves that get up at this time."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""What do you mean?" The rabbit rolled her eyes./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Have you ever counted the amount of wolves that work at the ZPD alone?" Judy questioned./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""No," he responded. "But I'm guessing you have?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Yep." The bunny said proudly. There was in fact 5 wolves in their role call, plus another 12 that hung around reception sometimes. Judy was positive there would be a few more that she hadn't seen before./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"The rabbit watched the happy-excited look on Nick's face. Her shoulders hitched up at the sight of his stance. She'd rarely seen him this excited before, even though it did look like he was trying to look relaxed at the same time./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Surprise..." Judy muttered loud enough for the fox to hear, smiling a little. Her nose twitched lightly, scared at he may not actually like the effort she made. She'd never taken him somewhere before to eat, which made her even more anxious. The fox didn't move, still staring at the cafe./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Why." He simply said. Judy was taken aback, a little confused./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""What do you-"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Why did you do this for me?" The rabbit fell silent. Why emdid/em she do it for him?/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""B-because... I thought you'd like it. Something different, ya know..." The bunny began to ramble, twiddling her paws together while looking at the ground. Judy felt as if she hand failed and woken Nick up an hour early for seemingly no reason. She felt so stupid inside, her brain beating itself up over and over again./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"The rabbit was so caught up in her own thoughts and fear that she didn't notice the Fox approaching her. Her nose was twitching furiously as a result of her inner dialogue ranting in her mind. Nick, without a second thought, latched onto her bunny with his paws, hugging her tightly. Judy's rambling immediately stopped./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""N-Nick?" She questioned, very confused. Was he not upset?/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Thank you." He muttered, giving the bunny a quick squeeze, his ears folded back. The bunny was so confused that her nose had stopped twitching all together./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""I... I thought you didn't like it..." Nick frowned, pulling away./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""What?" He said with a breathy voice. "How did you get that idea?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""You sounded uninterested... as if I had wasted your time." Nick sighed, bringing Judy close to him again./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Not at all. You can never be a waste of time to me... never." He pulled back again, his paws still on the bunny's shoulders. "I love it, Judy. Really, I do! I've never been to a café that is designed for smaller mammals-"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Miss Judy?" A voice called from behind them. Nick jumped slightly, a little startled from the sudden voice. His tail raised and his eyes peeled, he turned around and smiled faintly./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Ehh, yes?" The bunny shyly responded./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Your table is ready. Sorry to keep you waiting." Nick nudged Judy, a small proud smirk on his face. His tail had returned back to it's bushy, fluffy self./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Oh, thanks!" The bunny replied, smiling thankfully. The voice had come from the café's entrance, in which a buck (male rabbit) stood. He couldn't have been much taller than Judy, perhaps a few centimetres, excluding the ears. Probably around the same age too, with a base colour of light brown fur and white patches. His attire consisted of navy blue jeans and a checker shirt with sleeves rolled up to the elbows./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"The officers made their way to the entrance, Judy leading the way. "Thank you for reserving a table on such short notice..." she glanced at the rabbit's name tag. "...Christopher."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""It's no problem, really. Although, it's not every day that we have customers booking a table for opening time."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""No kiddin'." Nick muttered under his breath. It was five o'clock in the morning. Christopher guided the pair into the café and to their table. It was a very nice looking place, hipster themed. The walls were an antique white with scattered paintings and canvas prints with mammal-motivational quotes on them./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""So Christopher," Judy started, sitting down at their table opposite Nick, who had placed his ice cooler on the ground next to him./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Please, Call me Chris." The buck insisted./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Oh... emChris/em," She corrected herself. "When I booked the table I was told that some-mammal called Dorian was going to be opening up..."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""Dorian?" Christopher questioned to himself. "You must mean Dorian Kempton." He answered. "Yeah, I'm not quite sure where he is. You're right though, he was supposed to open up and work on the morning shift with me... Maybe he called in sick?" He shuffled his feet a little, scratching the back of his neck. "Why do you wanna know?"/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""I was originally told to find him to be seated, but I guess it doesn't matter."Judy concluded, shrugging her shoulders. "Thank you, again."/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;""No problems. Just shout when you're ready with your order." With that, Christopher made his way out to the back of the cafe, possibly the kitchen or staff area./p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"Judy looked up at Nick, his chin resting on his right paw. "You know," He began. "I reckon this is one of the nicest things any-mammal has done for me." Nick smiled thankfully. "I'm so paying you back for this though." The young rabbit just beamed back. Although she didn't really want Nick to repay what she had done, she was happy knowing he was enjoying himself./p  
hr style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;" noshade="noshade" size="1" /  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"strongA/N: Hello everyone and welcome to my brand new fanfiction "Zootopia: White Flag". I'm sorry, not sorry, that this first chapter was so long. I would have cut it into two sections where the scene kinda splits (hence the paragraph dividers), but the first part of the chapter would have been too short to leave on it's own. Oh well.../strong/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"strongI hope you all stick around and enjoy the story with me. I will be planning the story 3-5 chapters ahead of what I'm writing at the time, and even while I'm writing I always have 3-5 chapters still in draft mode, excluding the chapters that are being planned. So hopefully that means every 1-3 weeks you guys get an uploaded chapter, depending on how busy I /strongbr /strongPlease leave support in the comments and maybe even some feedback or thoughts on anything really. It just lets me know that I'm doing something right! :D/strong/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"strong~Wickler/strong/p  
p style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium;"strongInstagram: bubaloo_cosplaybr /Youtube: Bubaloo/strong/p 


	2. Chapter 2

A fox and rabbit made their way through the glass doors of the Zootopia Police Department, take away coffee cups in tow. Nick held tight onto his cooler in his left paw, while his right lifted up so he could take a sip of his SnarlBucks coffee that he had got-to-go after they visited _The Fox and Hound Tearoom_.

"Morning Clawhauser!" Judy commented happily. A cheetah at the front desk looked up from a box of, what the pair assumed, donuts. Sure enough, in the wild-cat's left hand were 2 chocolate coated donuts, sprinkled with sugar. His eyes lit up, mouth full of the doughy goods.

"Good morning, Miss Hopps! And you too, Mr Wilde!" The cheetah greeted back with the same amount of enthusiasm. Nick held back a chuckle as he continued to try to speak with the food in his mouth.

"Yes, we're going to roll-call." Judy interpreted, Clawhauser's right hand flashing the thumbs up for a correct answer. The fox smirked as they continued on their way.

"You should have become an interpreter for the hungry cheetahs of Zootopia, not a cop." He nudged the bunny slightly, whom rolled her eyes at the comment.

"That was rude, Nick. Besides, I don't think that's a real job." The fox shrugged as they approached the meeting room.

"Well… I thought in Zootopia anyone could be anything." He smirked proudly down at the bunny. Judy rolled her eyes again while shaking her head, recognising her own words from the first day that they had met. Nick was very different then, a lot slier and sarcastic to the rabbit then he was now. It made sense though, he was a con-artist that had never been caught.

Judy opened the room to them, a jolt of sound hitting their ears. The other officers in the room were messing around, gossiping or just chatting about current events. Despite it wasn't even a classroom amount of mammals, the sound was almost ten times the amount of what it should be.

The room consisted of four rows of chairs, about five in each row. A desk was supplied for each, despite the amount of time they used for roll-call in the room, which was about five to ten minutes each morning, give or take. An old, unused chalkboard hung at the front end of the room, a small pin board with mammals-at-large pined to the surface hung over the board instead. The first rabbit and fox officers made their way to the front, sharing a large white chair that was left empty for them.

Within seconds of sitting down, a large rhino entered the room with a clip board. Everyone immediately stood up, knowing exactly what was about to happen next. Out of a door to the right, a large buffalo entered. His physicality would be the first thing you'd notice, his size rather large compared to many of the mammals in the room. His horns were next, pointy and twisted at the top of his head. Then of course… the piercing eyes. If you had the unfortunate honour of being stared down at by the large beast, you'd find yourself stuck in a never ending loop of freezing, gasping and fear.

"Be seated." He bellowed, the entire room plopping down onto their chairs. This large brass figure of a mammal was the chief of the ZPD; Bogo. Although very intimidating, Judy knew first hand that the mammal had a rare soft side that he showed beneath his ego. "Once again, due to the low crime rates from the Night Howler case being solved, you will all be assigned different sections to patrol. If you see any criminal activity, shut it down. We will otherwise contact units for action, if and when activity occurs." The room stayed silent as he moved onto his next point, bringing out some reading glasses to do so. Many in the police department found this detail to be quite de-mammalising to his reputation, but in fact all buffalos have poor eye sight, and the chief wasn't afraid to _convince_ someone why.

"In other news," he continued. "We have three suspect mammals at large. Rayburn Ryan, Jaden Rat and Prescott Sanborn are our mammals to look out for. They have been suspected of assisting the Night Howler rig from nine months ago. Find them, bring them down. We have no leads as of yet, but if anything comes up they are to be called in. I hope that is clearly understood." Bogo then proceeded to give out folders full of information on the suspects at large, sending those whom had received them to their designated area. Soon enough, it was Judy and Nick's turn.

"Hopps, Wilde." The Buffalo growled. "Parking duty in Sahara Square. Dismissed." Judy's shoulders slumped as she was handed a folder. Nick too didn't seem very happy with his placement either. They waited for the chief to leave before standing alone for a few moments.

" _Parking duty_ …" The fox impersonated the chief, breaking the silence. He puffed out his chest, flexing with all his might. The bunny giggled a little, nudging Nick in the side.

"Come on, _Chief_. We've got parking tickets to give out."

 **'·.,¸,• •,¸,.·''·.,¸,• •,¸,.·'**

Despite the circumstances, the officer duo tried to keep their day entertaining. They mutually decided on a match to see who would get the most amount of citations signed before noon. It soon became clear that Judy's ability to hop and travel faster made her more efficient at the job… to her disappointment.

"And, One-hundred-and-eighty tickets before noon!" She cried in victory, racing half-way back to the parking-patrol car. It was larger than the one Judy originally had when she started, obviously large enough to fit both herself and the fox inside. Unfortunately, it was still as slow as ever. Nick gave the rabbit a slow clap as she came a little closer.

"Congratulations, Whiskers. You're officially the best Meter Maid in the city!"

"Oh please, I was the best meter maid before I became one." Her expression quickly faded as she remembered her first day on the job. Before the rabbit had taken up the Missing Mammal case, she was assigned to Parking Duty, where she fined up to two-hundred citations before lunch alone. Of course this was only because the chief didn't think that she'd be able to handle a missing mammal case due to her supposed abilities. "And to think I swore I'd never do this job again… but here I am, doing _MORE_ citations." She grumbled back the rest of the way to the vehicle plopping into the driver's seat. Her ears hung down her back, exhausted and saddened to remember the prejudice against her in the past.

"I see why you didn't like this job. I've had about twelve mammals come up to me complaining about their fine… and I've only given out twelve citations!"

"Welcome to the Zootopia Police Department, where you do what you're supposed to do and get yelled at for your job." Judy responded sarcastically, hitting her head on the steering wheel as she went to rest on it. "Ow." She muttered down to the floor, clearly not having a good time.

"Come on, Carrots. It's only for one day. Besides, you could basically call this an under-cover stake out." Judy raised an eyebrow.

"Huh?"

"Well think about it. Two cops, watching the streets, _pretending_ to be parking patrol when really we're just waiting for criminal activity to occur." The fox lent up against the car, certain that his theory would cheer up the bunny a little.

"Nick, the parking meters are our stake out… the expired parking spots are our criminal activity. Your theory sucks." Nick was a little surprised by the Judy's pessimist attitude. Rarely did he see her in this state; so defeated, it wasn't like her. "Besides," She continued. "A stake out in broad-daylight is stupid, unless you want to let the criminals know you're there. I mean, look around!" She stated, pointing to different mammals walking around them. "They see _us_ and they instantly act as casual and calm as they can."

Judy was right. A group of rams in their teenage years turned the corner, yelling and screaming with skateboards. They seemed to be having a pretty great time, but as soon as their eyes settled on the cops, their noise level dropped considerably and their behaviour changed almost instantaneously… as if to prove the bunny's point.

"Alright, Whiskers." The fox sighed, a little disheartened that his attempt had failed. "You're right." Judy suddenly perked up a little, a smirk on her face.

"Do you want to say that again? I think I have the carrot pen around here somewhere-"

"No chance, Carrots." Nick quickly retorted with a chuckle, holding up the carrot pen which had been in his pocket.

Although the weather had been quite cold that day, Judy seemed to be burning up due to her energetic and competitive spirit. Rushing about had taken a toll on her, and the cold air wasn't helping much. The pair had forgotten to take precautions around hydration and such since their job didn't involve much at all, but Judy had pushed that relaxing standard to its limit. Nick noticed this, placing a paw on the rabbit's forehead.

"Nick, what are you-"

"You're warm." He stated, shaking his head. "I think you need to take a break."

"I am? "

"No, I mean for more than thirty seconds. You race off as soon as a park has expired. You should take your time, relax!"

"But Nick…" Her ear suddenly prinked up, her head turning across the street to a parking meter that had become expired. She was about to get up when the fox lightly pushed her back into the car, his face up close to hers. His forest green eyes stared into her lavender irises as his paw kept her pinned to the vehicle's seat. He definitely wasn't joking around.

"Stay here." Nick said, pulling away and walking across the road with his ticket maker. Judy stayed frozen still, completely confused. The distance between their faces were so close she swore she could smell the coffee he had earlier. She should have been uncomfortable with that situation… but she wasn't. Perhaps it was because they were such good friends and they'd been through so much together… surely?

"Carrots… you okay?" The fox asked, returning from the trip across the street. Judy slowly began to sit up, still contemplating her experience.

"Y-yeah. I'm fine…"

"If you're still a little over heated, I have something that might help." The bunny tilted her head.

"Like what?" Nick grabbed his ice cooler from the back of the traffic car, presenting it to Judy in his left hand.

"I present to you…" He began, having to quickly put the cooler down to open it. After a second he grabbed a raspberry red item and held it up to the rabbit. "A Pawpsicle." Judy stared at the frozen liquid before looking up at Nick. Was he seriously wanting her to take it? "What are you waiting for, Carrots?"

"You want me to eat it?" Nick rolled his eyes.

"Nah, I just want you to stare at it all day- yes, I want you to eat it. It'll help you cool down." The bunny looked back at the pawpsicle, taking it delicately out of the fox's paws. Nick frowned. "What wrong? Never eaten a popsicle before?"

Judy frowned up at him. "No, that's not it. It's just… I don't ever think I've actually tried one of _your_ popsicles before." He snickered.

"It's just a raspberry jumbo pop, Whiskers. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Besides the fact you melt it on a dirty roof? Not sure if I should trust you…"

"Carrots, it's fine. Trust me." The bunny rolled her eyes, reverting her attention back to the frozen treat. Despite her previous argument, she took a large lick of the popsicle and looked back up at him, expecting a reaction of some kind.

"Happy?" She asked. Nick shrugged with a smug grin on his face, his arms folded in satisfaction.

" _Happier_." 

* * *

**Hey everyone,**

 **I know this seems like a bit of a filler, but I promise it's not. You'll see why ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

"Keep your ears up, Carrots. We've only got five more hours to go."

" _Five more hours_?" Judy's ears stayed down, her paws crossed. "I don't think I can stand this any longer. Even _I_ had something to do when I did parking duty."

"And what was that?"

"Let's see…" The bunny unfolded her paws and jumped onto her feet. "After filing two hundred citations before noon-"

"Two hundred?!" Nick's ears folded back in astonishment. "On your first day?"

"Yes, I was determined to show Chief Bogo that I was more than just a bunny. Now as I was saying; after those citations, I ran into a fox who was trying to help his son get a jumbo pop from a café designed for elephants..."

"Was the fox charming?" He questioned, a smirk forming on his face.

"I wish." Judy retorted, a hand on her hip. Her lips portrayed a faint smug smile. The fox annoyingly thrusted his paw to his side, the rabbit's smile fading. "What?" She asked, noticing his action.

"Oh nothing." Nick replied. "I was going to record you admitting how _amazing_ I am." Judy's eyes widened in surprise, her paws dropping but her ears perked up.

"You sly fox- "

"WE HAVE A TEN TWENTY-FOUR ON OXDALE AND LION-LARD STREET." The officers' heads flicked toward the traffic car's radio which was receiving a signal, a little startled from the sudden outburst of sound. Normally parking patrol cars wouldn't be called to a scene unless they were the closest unit to an emergency. Nick and Judy were in so much shock that they stood there for a few seconds contemplating why they were actually getting the call. The voice on the line came from none-other than a startled and panicking Benjamin Clawhauser. "UNIT WILDE-HOPPS, CAN YOU READ ME?" Nick, breaking out of his thoughts, dived for the microphone, his stomach laying against the base of the seats with his right paw up to the radio. The position looked very awkward and uncomfortable to be in.

"Ten four, this is Wilde-Hopps." He replied quickly. "What's the situation?"

"CODE TWENTY-ONE B AT WOOLTON'S JEWELS." Judy gasped a little.

"I know where that is!" She exclaimed loudly, jumping a little as she did so. "It's close to here. We can run and it'll take us less time than the car!"

"Burglary…Ten-four." Nick replied to Clawhauser. "We're on our way!"

"BE CAREFUL!" The cheetah said into the radio before breaking off with them.

Judy rushed into the car, grabbing a two tranquilisers and ammo. Handing one of the air-propelling guns to Nick and locking the car with her key's, she began to rush off without any explanation.

"Carrots!" The fox called out, just getting to his feet. Knowing that she wasn't going to slow down, he began to sprint after her. "Wait up!"

 **'·.,¸,• •,¸,.·''·.,¸,• •,¸,.·'**

Judy raced around yet another corner, leaving no time for her partner to catch up completely. He was only a few feet behind, which was good enough for her. The bunny had been cutting through side streets and alley ways to get through to her destination quicker, the energy and adrenaline she built up during the day from no action was paying off.

"Carrots!" Nick called again. "Slow down, you can't just run straight into this."

"I'm a cop, that's what I do-"

"I know you're a cop but this could potentially be dangerous! We have to be cautious. What about back up?" Judy turned her head a bit to look at the fox, but continued to run forward.

"I know what I'm doing." She said blankly. "Just follow me lead and you'll be fine!"

"Carrots- " The bunny sprinted ahead, getting further away from Nick who was very nervous about her enthusiasm during the situation. "JUDY!"

Luckily, right after heading out of the side street they were in, they ended up on Oxdale street, the same one Clawhauser told them the burglary was on. Judy slowed down a little, her right paw reaching back to grab her tranquilizer which she had slipped into her holster as she ran. Nick did the same, keeping his eyes peeled for any activity in the store. He was too far away to tell for sure.

Keeping low, the bunny slowed down completely, coming to a full stop when she reached the road side. She ducked behind a car, letting her partner catch up to her. The outside of the shop was smashed into, the display shelf teared to shreds. Glass covered the entire sidewalk outside of the store and the front door had been completely battered in, the wooden frame hanging off only one hinge. They were just lucky that the street was quiet that day. Hopefully Clawhauser had called a road blockage to be placed in addition.

"Can you see anything?" Judy whispered to Nick, flicking her head toward the broken-into store. He lifted up his head a little to look through the window, his ears bending back in case they attracted attention.

"N-" He paused, his ears tilting forward a little as they sensed movement. Inside the store were three figures, stashing jewels into bags. "Actually… two weasels, one wolf. The wolf is black with patches of white and they're carrying shopping bags… They don't look armed."

"Don't look? I need a full answer, Nick-"

"No, not armed."

"Okay…" Judy tried to keep her breathing steady. It had been a short while since she'd been in a situation such as this, but she was willing to going through with it if it resulted in an arrest of mammals who were potentially dangerous to Zootopia's citizens. It was also in these situations that she wished she had ear plugs. The sirens coming from the store were quite loud and obnoxious to listen to. She wondered how the burglars inside could even stand it.

"On the count of three, we get up. Be ready." Nick nodded in agreement, re-positioning his paws on the tranquilizer. "One, two… Three!" The last number was considerably louder than the rest, yet the pair stood up simultaneously, pointing their guns defensively in front of them toward the store windows. Being on parking duty, they weren't really equipped with all the tools they would have had while on patrol. A firearm would have definitely helped Nick's nerves settle down and stop his paws from slightly shaking. "Where'd they go?" Judy whispered in annoyance.

"They must have gone out to the back room." The fox suggested. Judy shook her head.

"No, I don't think so. They haven't been able to get in, look at the back door. It doesn't look like it's been forced open or anything. They must have gone upstairs or they're hiding down here."

"Upstairs?"

"Mrs Woolton lives above the store for extra security."

"How do you know this?"

"I stopped a shoplifter a few months back while you were still training." The bunny explained. "Now come on! I'll take the back; you take the front."

Nick didn't like the idea of two against three, especially when his partner was going into the back end of the store where she presumed the suspects were; but he trusted Judy with his life. This was not one of the times he was going to give up on her.

Leading the way, Judy kept low, her eyes scanning the room. She glanced back to Nick, signalling toward the front desk that was covered in glass. He nodded, leading to the right as Judy kept branching forward.

The fox crept over to the desk, careful not to step on anything that could cut himself. With a dash, he darted behind the piece of furniture and held up his tranquilizer in defence. To his surprise, he didn't see the mammals he saw in the shop before. Behind the desk was, who he assumed to be, Mrs Woolton, a sheep in her prime. A purple cardigan and white dress was scattered with small chips of glass from the window, the wool on her head slightly dampened with dark red.

"Are you okay?" He bent down, whispering toward the sheep. He flashed his badge that was still pinned on his chest to convey that he was with the law. Mrs Woolton's shoulders lowered as she relaxed and nodded in reply, realigning her cardigan into a more natural position. She slowly edged herself up and crawled toward the fox. Nick welcomed the frightened mammal with open arms, feeling her tremble as she clung onto him with a tight embrace. "Shhh…" He said calmly, patting her back. "Is there anyone else in here?" He questioned, afraid that this may become a hostage situation very quickly.

Mrs Woolton looked behind her, a young rabbit slowly made its way out from underneath the desk. It couldn't have been older than ten or twelve. Nick's ears bent back, his fur turning a crisp rose… it was so cute! It made him wonder whether Judy was this cute when she was younger.

"Is that all?" He pressed further, unable to take his eyes off the small bunny.

"Not that I am aware of."

"Alright, stay down. I'll come back for you-"

"Please, sir!" Mrs Woolton cried softly. "You must be careful."

"This is my job, ma'am." The sheep looked at him with frightened irises, her hooves still shaking. Nick raised an eyebrow, the emotion on her face suggesting there was more to the situation. "Is there something I need to know?"

 **'·.,¸,• •,¸,.·''·.,¸,• •,¸,.·'**

Judy continued forward, her ears on sharp alert for movement. Reaching the back door, she checked the handle. Firmly locked and no signs of breakage, just like she'd hoped. Quite curious considering this was reported as a burglary. The bunny then turned to another door to her left. A "staff only" sign was tossed aside next to the door which was now battered into. It wasn't exactly off its hinges, but it was in quite bad shape. Behind it showed a set of stairs that led up to what Judy suspected was Mrs Woolton's apartment.

The officer slowly made her way toward the stair case, her guard and nerves becoming alarmingly high.

"This is the police." She stated sternly up the stairs. "Come quietly and nobody will get hurt." Due to no response, the bunny continued. They couldn't have gone far. They had to be up there, they definitely weren't down stairs; Nick would have caught them already.

"Put your hands up, now!" Judy stated again, turning a sharp corner on the stair case. Her keen ears suddenly picked up a rustling from the room above her, feet shuffling about as if trying to hide. She was positive it would be them. Skipping a few steps, Judy ended up at the top of the stairs in front of a large glass window that looked out to the street outside. The bunny scanned the area with a flash before turning around in defence. She had to admit in the time she had scanned what was 180 degrees in front of her she could have been jumped, but luckily she hadn't. But once she turned around to defend herself… there was nothing.

No mammals.

Just an empty hall way with a perfectly clean apartment door to the right.

"Wh- that's impossible." Judy lowered her gun slightly, confused to how this was able to occur. Her hearing couldn't possibly be wrong! She definitely heard someone.

"JUDY!" Nick abruptly screamed from below. Judy's attention directed itself straight to the fox who had rushed to the bottom of the stair case. He looked alarmed… no… panic-stricken. "They've go- SHIT!" He looked directly behind the rabbit, his hand instinctively pointing. "LOOK OUT!"

Feeling the need to flee, the bunny rolled forward to avoid a possible threat, but it was too late.

Little did Judy know when she first climbed the stair case, the three intruders had jumped up the wall to cling to the high ceiling where they couldn't be seen directly. Noticing the fox's presence, the wolf in the group climbed down, lunging for the bunny. Having no time to consider what was actually going on, Judy rolled straight into him, making matters worse for herself. The two weasels on either side made quick progress to smash the glass window in front of the stair case and make a run for it; jewels in tow.

In an effort to help his partner, Nick began to race up the flight of stairs, only to be stopped by the figure of the large wolf and Judy who was limp in its large paws. The fox immediately held up his tranquilizer, the fur on his neck on edge as he growled. It was hard to aim or see properly due to the sun from the broken window shining into his eyes. Without moving his position, he wouldn't be able to pull off a safe shot. He could hit Judy!

"Aww, she's only knocked out you stupid fox." The wolf grumbled, an amused tone in its voice. "If I didn't have a job to do, I'd finish her off right now; but I gotta rush." The large paw gave way, Judy's unconscious body falling to the ground and tumbling down the stairs at a quick and injury-rate speed. Nick let go of his defence, rushing up to the bunny before she could fall any more.

He picked her up, Judy's ears slashed from the glass that had trickled down the stairs from the weasels' escape. She was breathing, thankfully. Nick only noticed when he looked up that the wolf had disappeared out into the city and probably long gone.

That son of a bull was going to have a very bad time if he was seen again.

* * *

 **Did I just name their unit "Wildehopps"? Yes, yes I did.  
It fits so well that I just** _ **had**_ **to have it in there. So, you all have my permission to freak out and squeal to your heart's content.**


	4. Chapter 4

Throbbing. 

The intense and struggling feeling of throbbing. Judy felt it in the back of her head, frustrated with her ability to be unable to stop it. It was nestled between her right temple and occipital lobe, as if she was hit or forced unconscious. Come to think of it, she couldn't remember a thing. One minute she was terrified due to a look on Nick's face, and the next she was… well, out cold. It confused her terribly.

The bunny began to feel her senses returning. She was fine, thankfully… but the throbbing remained. Judy's eyes, heavy from unconsciousness, were lifted open every-so slightly. From what she could tell, she wasn't at the jewelers anymore. The room was completely white and she was sitting on something so comfortable she didn't think she wanted to move.

Was she dead?

Killed by a blunt force to the back of the head, the throbbing being the remains of the final blow hitting her as she fell into the claws of death?

Of course not. That would be quite dull to imagine… especially for such a dramatic bunny.

Judy's nose began to twitch out of curiosity, at the same time sniffing the area out. She quickly recoiled at the smell in the room. It wasn't like gym socks or sweat… but medicine and chemicals. It smelt… over-the-top hygienic. Judy didn't like that at all. She hated hospitals to say the least.

"Nick?" She muttered softly. She didn't want to be there, especially if he wasn't either. Judy had grown quite fond of the fox since they first met. Their differences ended up drawing them together to solve one of the largest cases in Zootopia's history, and from there they learned to trust each other completely and work together to defeat… most odds; cases and stereotypes alike. When he wasn't around her she felt lonely, bored, and almost uncomfortable.

"Nick…" Judy muttered out again, this time attempting to open her eyes a little more. The room was painted white with a hint of mint and light blue here and there. The room seemed familiar but it didn't strike a chord.

"Judy?"

The bunny's breath stopped for a moment. That was her name, yes… but she was expecting a certain fox to respond. Instead she heard,

"Clawhauser?" A rustle of clothing came from the left of Judy, her ears picking up the movement as it came closer.

"Yes, yes it's me, Judy." He responded a little shaky. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes, I can hear you."

"Oh thank Gazelle!" The cheetah cried, latching onto the rabbit's left hand. She rolled her head toward the voice, her vision picking up spots of yellow and brown, as well as, what she recognised as, the ZPD uniform. Clawhauser was one of the sweetest mammals at the department. Despite his first name being Benjamin, he liked the idea of have a 'code name' so-to-speak. Every-mammal just went along with it... except Nick. "We've been so worried for you! You've been out for hours!"

"What? _How long_?!" She exclaimed, her body suddenly full of energy. "Where's Nick? Is he okay?! What happened to the robbers-" All these questions ran through her mind with urgency. Nick had to be okay, right? She had no way of knowing whether he was injured after she was left unconscious. His expression had said it all… and to think he might have been hurt because she wasn't careful and rushed into things after he warned her not to? That tore her heart apart.

"Calm down, Judy." Clawhauser pleaded, guiding her tense limbs back onto the comfortable surface of the mattress. "Nick is fine. See for yourself." In the state of panic that the bunny had experienced, her sight had returned back to normal. Just in time too. She watched as the cheetah moved toward the wall in order for her to get visual on a very exhausted looking Nick. Although he wasn't in any bandages or had any sign of injury, the fox was lying on a bed to her left… but his head was where his feet should have been lying and he wasn't tucked under the sheets like she was.

"Poor thing." The cheetah began, watching as the fox's chest rose and fell. "He was so terrified when he brought you back here; Ran all the way from the Jewellers thinking you may have been in a coma." Clawhauser chuckled. "Of course I told him not to be silly and that you were probably just knocked out… but he was very insistent that we take you here, to first aid. You can't really argue with a mammal that looks like they've seen a ghost-"

"OFFICER CLAWHAUSER. MY OFFICE. NOW!" The adorable expression on Clawhauser's face faded off, knowing that Chief Bogo had just summoned him by intercom. It was never really good news when a mammal was called to Bogo's office. Only rarely is there good news to tell at all.

"Whoops. Chief's probably going to lecture me about leaving my post. I left Francine in charge while I came to watch over you, and let me tell you she-really-isn't-good-with-handling-my-job." The cheetah began to rush off, but darted back into the room one last time. "By the way, the chief wants to see you when you're ready. Bring Nicky with you." With that, Clawhauser swiftly exited, letting the room settle back into silence. The rabbit blinked at the fox's nickname… Nicky? It made her giggle. What a childish nickname for such a serious fox.

It became oddly silent very quickly. Judy was so used to the loud conversations of the city, the cars, construction, the very faint sound of sirens, that she started to miss them. It gave a busy atmosphere to her day, which the bunny enjoyed very much, and by being in a room that had no sound and the smell of chemicals made her very anxious. She needed to move and do something, anything but this. Sitting up a little, she went to take the covers of the bed off of her, only to be stopped by a single paw, which kept the sheets near her stomach down.

"Not on my watch, Carrots." Shyly looking up, the bunny recognised the face of a fox, his expression some-what worried but also inviting and warm.

"Nick!" Judy exclaimed, lashing forward and hugging the fox around the neck. He hugged back tightly, glad to see his partner happy and well.

"I'm so glad you're okay, Whiskers." Nick stated with a small chuckle, pulling back to look the bunny in the eyes. "I was so terrified! You could have been badly hurt!" Judy shrugged a little.

"I'm fine, really!" She explained. "It's not like they were armed or anything… you said so yourself-"

"Actually…" Judy's ears dropped a little, knowing the tone of voice wasn't a pleasant one. "There was a sheep and rabbit hiding behind the desk. Mrs Woolton, I think… she told me that what I saw behind the car wasn't exactly right."

"What do you mean?"

"They had guns, Judy. They _were_ armed and I didn't see it!" He stepped away from the bedside. "They had firearms on the desk. They must have seen my ears somehow… they knew we were coming." Nick made is way over to the bed he was resting on, his tail flopping beside him as he sat down and faced the bunny. "I should have watched for longer. Because of me you ran straight into trouble. And you could have been seriously injured… or dead!"

"Nick, calm down-"

"-I should have been more stern with you. I should have held you back and waited. Because of me your nearly got yourself killed!"

"Nick!" Judy shot a glare at the fox, practically yelling at him. "It's not your fault! We all make mistakes okay? I think I know that better than anyone. Nick…" The bunny watched as the he averted his gaze. "Nick, look at me."

He looked back at the bunny. This was quite aberrant for Nick to be acting this way. Sure he thought that he had endangered her life, but she was fine!

"I'm alive, yes? I have arms. I have legs. I have you!" Nick's ears perked up a little. "If you didn't notice sooner, I might have been ambushed, then what might have happened. Nick… you basically saved my life." The fox's shoulders relaxed slightly.

"But that doesn't fix anything-"

"Not to you." Judy cut him off. "But to me it does. Now come on, where's the Nick I know? You're acting strangely. Start being…"

"Dumb?" The rabbit rolled her eyes, shaking her head with a small giggle.

"You." Nick smiled thankfully, standing up and approaching the bunny. "We gotta go though. Chief is expecting us." The fox's ears drooped again. That was _just_ a news he needed.

* * *

 **Once again… this kinda ended up like a filler, which I'm very sorry about. I try to plan these events ahead of time so that a story can form.**


	5. Chapter 5

Chief Bogo's office was the second to the left when you head up the stairs to the second floor. The room wasn't very comfortable to sit in either. After the night howler case was completed, the Chief thought it would be a splendid idea to move and add furniture in his office. It was a lot more serious and darker than what it originally was when Judy first joined the ZPD. The curtains were nearly always drawn and the red-wood furniture had been swapped out for slick, polished black wood, as well as the addition of a white love-seat that sat right next to the door when you enter. The book shelves on the other hand, that held many, many case files, stayed in place. Little did the rest of the mammals at the department know, Bogo kept a stash of Gazelle merchandise in one of the draws in his new desk, as well as a hidden poster that he kept in in the underside of the coffee table near the love seat.

Of course Judy and Nick didn't know this as they waited patiently for the Chief to return to his office. Arriving at a time that he was fetching some Snarlbucks coffee, Officer Clawhauser had let them in to "get comfortable" … although that was unlikely to happen. Judy had always felt like a stranger in the room; now more than ever. Despite only being in the office a small amount of times during her life in the ZPD, she felt even smaller with all the new furniture. Nick felt the same way, but he liked the new look… some-what. He figured a patterned wallpaper would look nicer, considering the current walls were a plain old dark-grey.

In through the door, after a few minutes, came the buffalo himself. He took a few moments to settle himself and place his coffee down before sitting on a large, black wheelie-chair.

"Officer Hopps." Bogo began, making the bunny jump a little. "It's good to see you back up and hopping."

"Thank you, Sir." Judy replied, a small smile on her face.

"Now, getting to business." Nick shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He never really liked meetings with the chief, especially because he was just so damn intimidating. "Officer Wilde here has already had a discussion with me. He told me all about the call and the situation that unfolded, but I need your point of view as well. It will help us piece together who these mammals are and bring them down. We don't want hostile, armed criminals running about the city."

"Yes, Sir." The bunny exchanged a nervous glance with Nick, before building up the courage to explain her view of the incident. "I can't remember the time exactly-" She explained. "But Officer Clawhauser contacted our unit on the traffic-patrol car. Officer Wilde responded and we ran by foot to the unfolding crime. Upon arriving, he examined the suspects from afar, coming to the conclusion that they were unarmed. We made our way inside where we then branched off. I took a left to head up the stairs to the apartment of Mrs Woolton. When reaching the top of the stairs, Officer Wilde confronted me and told me to watch out. Within seconds I was jumped by a large wolf, who then proceeded to hit me in the back of the head with some kind of object, efficiently knocking me out cold."

"Was the wolf accompanied?" The chief questioned.

"Yes, Sir. Two weasels."

"And did you get a good look at this wolf?" Judy looked down at the floor, screwing up her face and rummaging through her memories for a face to face visual on her attacker.

"I-I think so?" She muttered softly. "It had a black fur base with white ear tips… a scar running from the top of its right eye to the bottom of its left eye."

"That narrows the field of suspects down. Thank you, Officer Hopps. We'll keep that on record, if you don't mind."

"Not at all."

Nick, who was only listening to half the conversation, glanced down at Judy's belt which had been put on in a rush to get to the Chief's office. Some of the buckles on compartments were loose…and something wasn't right. Nestled inside the bunny's gun-holster was a small piece of paper.

"Carrots…" The fox whispered. "What's in your holster?"

"Huh?" Judy glanced down, taking her paw and pulling out the piece of paper. It wasn't really a full sheet. More of a ripped corner off a piece of paper. "Did you put that there?" She asked, looking up at Nick who put his hands up in defence.

"No? Why would I?"

"What does it say?" The Chief questioned, becoming a little impatient. The bunny quickly lifted the paper to her eyes, reading out a message that was scribbled on it with black ink.

" _We will rise. Prey_ … _beware_?!" She looked up at Bogo. "The wolf must have slipped it into my gear after he knocked me unconscious!"

"Are you sure, Carrots?"

"Of course I'm sure! You think I would play a joke like this?"

"N-no." Nick looked away in embarrassment. Why would he even question that?

Judy stared at the note, contemplating to herself. Why would they slip the note to her? Was that even planned? "We will rise" seems a little vague to be stating directly who is rising… unless it's only two groups against each other…

"Predators."

"I'm sorry?" Bogo frowned in confused.

"Over nine months ago, Officer Wilde and I cracked a case where Assistant Mayor Bellweather was caught red-handed trying to pit prey against predators."

"I know the one. Your point is, Hopps?"

"What if we're getting targeted? What if, because of that incident, there's a group of mammals who are annoyed with us for foiling Bellweather's plan? Like… followers!"

"That seems plausible." Nick added on. "We have no idea how many mammals were part of Bellweather's scheme. Even so, it's also possible a group of predators are trying to copy-cat what she was doing, but this time they're making sure that the predators get on top."

"Sir," Judy looked to the chief. "You said yourself that ninety-percent of Zootopia's population are prey. Since the Night Howler case, prey have still been hesitant to trust predators again, despite the news coverage that it was all a set up. During the time between the press conference and the case closing, relationships were torn, mammals were fired. Heck, some were even forced to move out of their homes due to fear of the prey around them. These predators might be trying to get back at us-" She paused. " _No_ … back at me." Chief Bogo sat up straighter in his chair, Nick staring at the bunny in disbelief. She was right.

"What do you mean "back at" you?" Bogo asked.

"I-… I was the one who started it all." The bunny confessed. "The press conference. I said what I thought was right, not what was actually around me. I was short sighted and only had one eye open to the situation. That event was broadcasted all over Zootopia! Stereotypes were brought around again and fear was wider spread than what it should have been. A lot of predators' lives were put on pause and ruined because of me. A simple prey." Judy looked up at her partner with regret in her eyes. Memories from the press conference flowed back to her. It was the time when her one true friend left her, because of her idiocy and naive attitude.

Bogo stood up from his chair, the pair of officers staring back at him as his shadow seemingly loomed over their smaller bodies.

"You both bring good points to my attention." He stated, taking a sip of his coffee. "Which is why I am now considering suspension with pay for each of you." Judy's jaw dropped.

"What." She muttered blankly. The chief noticed this, raising his empty hoof in the air to indicate silence.

"I'm only considering it, Officer Hopps. Only if more evidence suggesting that you two are being targeted surfaces, will I suspend you. Seeing as these are only assumptions for now, there is no need for me to take such precautions." He took another large gulp of the coffee. "Besides, there's no use in taking two of my best officers out of the field if this merely a harmless joke or scare tactic."

 **Looking back on the last chapter, it was kinda a filler, but it is used to build character too. You'll see only a few of those chapters in this story, hopefully. If not for building character, but for down times in the action where back story and less action is occurring.**


	6. Chapter 6

"I cannot _believe_ that he wants to suspend us! After all I've been through to fight the prejudice, he _still_ wants to get me out of the way-"

"Carrots, calm down."

"-And furthermore, he said we were two of his best officers. If we're being targeted, let us be targeted! Suspending us is put us in more danger-"

"Carrots!" Nick said a little louder. "Stop and think. Chief is only doing this for our protection. If we're on the front lines, we'll be subjected to harm and being followed. You need to stop being so dramatic." The fox chuckled a little as he finished explaining, the bunny's ears drooped down a little as she realised he was right.

"I suppose you have a point." She said, looking down. Judy felt so angry, but understanding at the same time. How could Chief Bogo suggest that they be suspended?! It didn't make sense… she wanted to help! The curiosity followed by the note in her gun holster made her anxious and her mind race. She _needed_ to know what that was about, and the only way she could do it was by taking the case. But how was the bunny to take the case when there was no case to solve yet? That's what annoyed her the most about the whole ordeal.

"H-hey Judy." A familiar voice said. Walking past a set of traffic lights and about to enter Nick's apartment complex, the officers hadn't noticed a buck standing off to the side. The bunny officer immediately turned around toward the voice, Nick following soon after.

"Chris?" The buck chuckled.

"Yeah. Nice to see you both again." The rabbit stood away from a wall, still in his work attire, but no badge.

"Like wise." Nick replied, straightening his tie. "What brings you 'round these parts?"

"Oh, I live across the block from here." The buck explained, pointing across the street. The fox's ears perked up a little in surprise. He'd never seen the buck before until that morning, but he lived so close to him? Then again, it was possible that they missed each other. "Is this where you live, Judy?" He asked, gesturing to the apartment complex in front of them.

"Huh?" The bunny was a little confused, needing a few seconds to think his question over. "Oh! Oh, no. My partner does." Judy affirmed, glancing up at Nick who sent her a wink in return.

Chris stared at the pair for a few moments, silently watching them as they acknowledged each other.

"So…" He began, his ears bending forward a little in awkward confusion. "You two are… uh…together?"

Judy's ears fell behind her head, her cheeks flushing a bright red. Nick's ears folded back while his tail spiked up a little, his paws nearly dropping the cooler he carried. They were both stunned in shock.

"Oh Gazelle, no." Judy exclaimed with a small chuckle. The fox laughed along nervously.

"Not that kind of a partner." He explained. "We just work together."

"Oh! Oh man, I'm so sorry!" Chris's cheeks blushed lightly in embarrassment. "I shouldn't have asked, my fault. Although… I have to admit, seeing the way you two look at each other can be deceiving." The officers looked at each other and repelled away like two magnets of the same type.

"Thanks for the heads up, I guess." The fox said, giving the buck a small smile.

"Uh, no worries." Chris shuffled in place, embarrassed about what he had caused. "Well, I should get going. Sorry about all… _that_." Before walking away, the buck looked up at Judy and gave her a large smile. "See ya, Judy." The bunny waved lightly to Chris as he left.

The police officers stood at the front of the apartment complex watching as the buck entered his own apartment building. They were so confused and in shock to what had just occurred. Them? A couple? Yeah right. Nick, in an attempt to lighten the mood, smirked down at the bunny and knelt down close to her.

"Ya know… I bet he likes you." Judy blinked and frowned up at the fox.

"What? No-"

"Come on, Carrots. He keeps looking at you as if you're a meal."

"The only mammal who has looked at me as if I was a meal, is you. And I didn't like it." The bunny tried to shrug off the comment, entering the apartment complex without Nick. The fox stood outside, chuckling to himself before quickly following his friend.

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The pair reach Nick's floor, the fox grabbing his keys from out of his pocket.

"You know," He began, slotting the keys into the door. "You're welcome to stay."

"Oh, no it's fine. It's getting late. I should probably head home, soon." The fox cocked an eye brow, a small smirk appearing on his face.

" _Soon_? So you were planning to stay?"

"N-no, I just-"

"I have _carrot juice_ ~" Nick cooed, swinging the door open. The bunny stared at him. He knew exactly how to get to her. Carrot juice was her favourite thing in the world… well, not exactly; but it was high up there according to her.

"But… you don't like carrot juice." She stated, a little confused to why he would have such a thing in _his_ apartment.

"What? I'm not allowed to have products my friend likes in case she comes around?"

"That's not what I meant." Nick stood in the doorway, leaning up against its frame with a smirk plastered on his face and his paws folded. He didn't look like he was moving until he got an answer. Judy sighed. "Fine. I'll come in." The fox's ears pricked up a little. "-But, after we finish hanging here, you're coming back to my place."

"Huh?" His paws dropped as he stared at the bunny with a questionable look. "And why can't I sleep here?"

"Nick, look." The bunny pointed straight past the fox and into his apartment. From the door they could _just_ see the rustic arm-chair that Nick had been using as a bed for the past few weeks. "You can't continue sleeping on that, I won't allow it. It's bad for you-"

"Ahem. Dianna _,_ Thank you." He corrected with a sly tone.

"Sorry~" The bunny cooed. " _Dianna_ is not good for you. She's a bad influence and is making you cranky all the time." Nick chuckled a little.

"Cranky?" He scoffed. "Is someone jealous?" The fox knelt down to Judy's height, puckering his lips in a dramatic way.

"It's an arm-chair." She said back blankly, clearly not reacting to his actions.

"Point taken." He rolled his eyes, standing back to his full height. "Alright, I'll come around… but, just like you bargained with me, I'm paying for lunch tomorrow." Judy sighed a little. She hated when other mammals paid for her food, especially Nick out of all of them. But if this was going to help him get some decent sleep…

"Deal."

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After two glasses of carrot juice and a long chat, the fox and bunny sat on the rustic armchair and watched the sun begin to set behind the buildings of Zootopia, Judy sitting on Nick's lap. Despite the window's in Nick's apartment being a little smaller than he would have hoped, the pair was still able to see the glossy reds and purples that lit up the sky, as well as the ball of light that kept them warm.

There was something what was playing on the fox's mind, however. In the event that the pair were suspended from the ZPD in order to protect them, would they be sent home to relatives? If so, where would he go? He hadn't seen his mother in a fair few years, let alone knew of her location. The circumstances in which they were separated were some of the foggiest of memories for him. But even so… that would mean that Judy would head back to Bunny Burrow, whereas he would be stuck in Zootopia, alone. Nick shuddered the thoughts from his mind. He didn't like being alone… not any more at least.

"Hey, Whiskers?"

"Mmm?"

"What is it like? In Bunny Burrow I mean." Judy looked up at him, curious to what led him to the question. But neither less, she answered.

"It's… surprisingly quiet a lot of the time, now that I think about it. Everyone is like family; we're a close community." The bunny sighed, gazing into the sun dreamily. "Watching the sunset like this reminds me all too well of the times where I'd watch the sun duck down behind the farms back home. We have a large swing set out the back that looks over our crops, made of an old tractor tire. I'd sit on the edge of it and just watch as the light faded and the sky turned to black."

"That must have been really nice to do that every night."

"Yeah… while it lasted at least."

"Hmm?" Nick raised an eye brow. "While it lasted?" Judy sighed again, looking back up at the fox.

"When I was younger, there used to be a group of mammals who weren't very friendly. I'm pretty sure they were all predators too… not a very good example for the younger generations of Bunny Burrow to learn from, huh?" Nick agreed, nodding. "Anyways. This group, around twilight, would start setting off fire crackers and fireworks way too close to the ground. Some morning's we'd wake up to find the remanence of a firework in dad's carrot fields… The worst of it was that this one fox wouldn't leave me alone." For a few moments Nick thought she was referring to him, but of course he didn't know her back then.

"Oh?" He muttered.

"Yeah. Gideon Grey. He uh…" The bunny's ear's drooped. "He did some terrible things to me when I was younger. He's a brilliant fox now, don't get me wrong… but Gideon was the specific reason to why my parents began to dislike fox's even more than they were already brought up to be; hence the fox-repellent when we first met."

"What did he do that was so-devastating."

"You really wanna know?"

"Sure…"

"Okay, uh… this one time, the most important event I think that tipped my parents over the edge to being more vigilant around foxes, there was a Fair in town. At this Fair, I had been asked to do a play for my school. It involved all the mammals in the production to share their hopes in dreams for what they wanted to be in the future."

"Let me guess." The fox shifted a little in his seat. "You wanted to be an elephant." The bunny giggled, nudging Nick softly in the side.

"Yes. I wanted to be an _elephant_. Now, like I was saying. After the play, which Gideon attended, I came outside to find him and a weasel bullying my friend's for their tickets. Mind you, I was still in my officer-get-up… and I strolled over and confronted him about it. He pushed me to the ground and threatened me, so I kicked him in the muzzle-"

"Ooooh. That's gotta hurt." Nick winced.

"I hoped so, but it ended up biting me in the tail. In reaction he… he swiped at me. Three claw marks scarred my face for a few years following." Judy sighed sadly, Nick lending a comforting paw on her shoulder.

"I… I never knew."

"I know."

 **A touching moment between the two. Is this a filler?** _ **Is it really**_ **? :3**


	7. Chapter 7

As the night went on, the pair of officers departed from the fox's residence and made their way to the smaller apartment twelve blocks away. Nick insisted he slept on the floor, but being the stubborn bunny she is, Judy wasn't taking no for an answer. Upon the bed, Nick slept like a young pup, whereas Judy slept some-what well on the floor.

With all that past and done, the bunny, as always, had woken up the fox in order to head to work on time. Despite the abundance of taxi's buzzing around them that morning, they decided to continue walking to the ZPD.

Nick crossed his arms, shivering a little. The morning was cold again, like the day before. It seemed that winter was coming a little too quickly for his liking. Judy didn't mind, but she was beginning to get a little irritated at the cold nipping at her ears.

"Perhaps you should start bringing a scarf to work." The fox suggested all of a sudden, gesturing to the bunny's ears.

"To wrap my ears in? I'd be a laughing stock." Nick chuckled lightly.

"No, I mean you could wrap it around your neck and then tuck your ears under the scarf." The bunny thought about it for a second, glancing up at him.

"That's a pretty good idea, Slick!" She said happily, nudging him lightly.

"What can I say? I'm pretty smart…"

"You're pushing your luck-"

"-Okay."

The officers, decked out in their attire, came to another set of traffic lights. The fox pressed the mammal-crossing button, quickly ducking his paw back into his pockets a few seconds later. Judy tapped her foot impatiently due to the cold. All she wanted to do was walk into to ZPD and sigh with relief as the burst of warm air hit her face—her phone buzzed, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Who texted you?" Nick questioned, watching the bunny take out her carrot-phone.

"Oh! It's Christopher. For a second I thought it would be mom and dad, but they definitely don't get up this early- "

"You have Christopher's number?" His attention hadn't gripped onto the second part of the conversation; his ears were still looming over the mentioned name. "As in that rabbit we met yesterday?"

"Yeah!" Judy exclaimed proudly. "I went for a jog this morning, like I always do, and bumped into Chris who was on his way to work… at least I think he was on his way to work. Anyways, matter of the story is that we exchanged phone numbers! Isn't that neat?"

"Sure—neat. One: You go for jogs in the morning?" The bunny frowned up at the fox in confusion.

"You've… never noticed me walk into your apartment in my jogging gear?" Nick sent her a dazed look. "What do you think I keep in my backpack when I get to your place?! I change in the washroom and leave my stuff by your door to pick up that night!" The fox shook his head.

"Nope… never noticed." Judy stared blankly at him for a few seconds before giggling, the fox chuckling along.

"You dumb fox." She teased, giving him a small nudge. "And two?"

"Why did you exchange numbers with a rabbit you just met. Stanger danger, Carrots."

"Coming from the fox I worked a case with within twenty-four hours of meeting him." Nick rolled his eyes.

"But that was under different circumstances. Seriously…" A green wolf appeared on the lights above them, meaning it was time to move across the road.

"Nick, stop." She playfully complained

"I'm only being concerned-"

"Concerned? Or being jealous?" The fox stopped right in the middle of the road. Of course he wasn't jealous! How could she even suggest something like that? Sure, she'd swapped numbers with loads of mammals from the ZPD around him, but never a rabbit. Maybe she had a point… what if he _was_ jealous? "N-Nick, I'm only joking around… Slick, come on! You're about to block traffic!" The fox shook his head lightly, coming back to reality.

"Sorry- Sorry!" He apologised, dashing to the other side of the road. The pair continued walking side by side, but Nick refused to look down at the bunny. Why was he jealous? Then again, Judy was his only friend he hung around with more often than Finnick... and it was just another animal that roamed Zootopia… whom of which just happened to be a rabbit. So what? It's not like they have much in common—scratch that. They're both rabbits. Try again Nicholas.

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"Alright, settle down!" Chief Bogo bellowed, the room instantaneously quietening down within his presence. "We have a new case." He announced, pinning a large note to the pin board that hung behind him.

Nick and Judy sat in the front row, sharing the edge of the seat as always. The fox hadn't really made much of an effort to make conversation with the bunny for the rest of the walk. He was too involved with his own thoughts and his jealousy toward the new friend she had made. It made him very confused that he felt that way, despite knowing that he shouldn't be acting like so.

"Doran Kempton." The Chief stated loudly. Judy's ears pricked up. "A missing mammal file was handed in late last night from a close friend. No motives toward any other mammals have been found, and we need leads." The buffalo looked to the smaller officers in the front row. "Wilde, Hopps. You'll be taking the case for now. Seeing your reputation on missing mammal cases such as these, I believe you won't have a problem getting to the bottom of this."

"Yes, sir!" The officers replied simultaneously.

"Good. I'll get you two to head down to Officer Clawhauser who has some information for you to start you off… that means _now,_ Wilde-hopps." Not expecting to head down straight away, the two officers awkwardly stood up and walked out of the room in a rush. It didn't take long before Judy decided to try and engage in communication.

"What is up with you?" She questioned. "I was only joking!" Judy softened her sentence with a light chuckle.

"I know, I know." Nick stated, swinging his paws to rest behind his head. "I've just… been thinking. "

"About what?"

"I… I don't know. Just life in general I guess."

"Nicky! Judy! Awh, how are you guys?" The pair of officers looked in front of them, startled by the sudden cry of their names. They were coming into the large golden lobby of the ZPD, guarded by an over excited Benjamin Clawhauser. The fox couldn't help but smile back enthusiastically. The cheetah's energy seemed contagious.

"Benjamin!" He called back. "I'm fine buddy, how are you doin'?"

"Just as well!" The cheetah squealed. "Oh! Judy, did you see Gazelle's new song?! IT'S AMAZING~! I just can't stop singing it in my head!" The bunny giggled, skipping toward the mammal behind the desk; a movement she only did occasionally when she was interested in something.

"No! I haven't, you'll need to hook me up after work." She stated, smiling. "We're here on duty though. Chief Bogo told us you had some files from a case for us?" Clawhauser looked over his desk friskily.

"Of course! I have them right here for you." He presented two folders proudly to the pair, "Luckily we have some more information on this mammal than we did on Mr Otterton a while back." He handed the files to Judy whom had her arms out stretched for them.

"Wow, thanks Clawhauser!" Judy gasped flipping through the files, happy to have something to start off with.

"No problem! Feel free to use my desk if you want." The cheetah was pretty excited and happy to help, but his smile quickly faded into an embarrassed and awkward gaze. "I-uh… I need to head to the bathroom _really_ quickly so… I'll be back!" As the jungle cat dashed away, Judy couldn't help but giggle a little more.

Leaving no time to waste after her giggle-fest, Judy hopped up to the backside of the desk and spread out the contents of the tan file.

"Doran Kempton… That rings a bell." Nick said to himself, joining the bunny.

"It should." Judy replied. "Doran Kempton is the wolf that was supposed to serve us at The Fox and Hound Tearoom yesterday morning." She pulled out a picture of the wolf who was dressed in a stunning suit and tie that complimented his grey fur.

"You've got to be kidding—"

"Unfortunately not." Judy flipped through the records and information. "It seems like our wolf has gotten a few speeding tickets, as well as parking violations too… but nothing relating to the case itself. We do, however, have a few contacts and locations we can check out… how about we start with that?"

"Sounds good." The fox agreed. "What's first up?" Judy flipped through to the contacts sheet. Surprisingly there weren't many names listed. The bunny read out the first name on the sheet, whom also happened to be noted down as the mammal that sent in the missing-mammal report.

"The manager of The Fox and Hound Tearoom: Samantha Foul."

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The fox and rabbit made their way to the Fox and Hound Tearoom. The place was buzzing with many mammals of the canine family eating and drinking beverages and just basically having a good time. Judy wasn't surprised to see a fair few foxes there, a sight that Nick's tail indicated he was excited about.

"You alright there, Slick?" She asked, gesturing to his tail. The fox flushed a dark red.

"Oh, heh." He straightened the fur on his tail, pushing his aviators back up from the tip of his muzzle. "Sorry. I'm just happy to see foxes chilling and not being anxious around other mammals due to the stereotypes." Judy nodded, understanding completely.

The pair walked in a little further and the smell of hot chips met their noses. The atmosphere was so light hearted and relaxed, unlike some of the other cafes around the city. The place was full with chatter, and no mammal seemed to care about the police officers who just walked in.

"Good Mornin'. What can I do fer y'all today?" A vixen approached them enthusiastically, a tray of empty milkshake glasses in her right paw. She definitely worked at the establishment. "Hope we haven't done nothin' wrong." She indicated to the officer's badges.

"Not at all." Nick was quick to state. "My name is Officer Wilde, and this here is Officer Hopps."

"How do ya do." The vixen responded politely.

"We just need to question one of the staff members here for a case." Judy nodded to agree with Nick's statement.

"We're looking for a Samantha Foul?" The bunny asked lightly, cuffing her hands together.

"Yer lookin' at 'er." The vixen said, her smile slowly fading. "Is… is this 'bout Doran?" She questioned, her right paw lowering a little.

"Yes, ma'am." Judy replied solemnly. "I'm very sorry to ask but, is there a place we can talk in private? We understand you're probably _really_ busy at the moment." Samantha waved her left paw in the air.

"No problemo. I can get Shelly on the floor. She's kinda sittin' in the back with nothin' ta do." The vixen guided the fox and rabbit over to a back room, placing her tray down on a counter before entering. She tapped another vixen on the shoulder who was sitting on a wheelie chair, watching monitors. "Shelly, these 'ere are two police officers. They're 'ere to ask me a few questions 'bout Doran. Could yeh take ma tables for a few minutes?"

"Sure thing, Sammy." The waitress said, grabbing an apron that was sitting on the back of the chair and whipping it over her arm. For the first time she looked up at the officers, her heart stopping when her eyes latched onto Nick's.

"W-well, hey there, stranger." Shelly stuttered, a small glint in her eye. The fox officer's ears bent back a little, his eyes widening. Was she flirting with him?

"Hello, ma'am." He replied with a sly smile, sliding his aviator sunglasses further down his nose. The vixen giggled a little and made her way out. Nick, being more proud of himself then what he should have been, straightened his shirt and badge, earning a light nudge at the side from his partner.

"What was that?" Judy teased.

"What?" He cooed. "She started it." The bunny rolled her eyes, focusing back on Samantha who was waiting aside from them. She'd pulled up three chairs for them all to sit on.

"Well," Judy began with a small sigh. "Shall we begin?" The vixen nodded.

"May as well, I just want ta get this over with. It pains me ta think 'bout what's happened ta him."

The whole group sat down, the sound of the buzzing café faintly echoed into the room. Samantha's ears bent back, her paws resting uncomfortably on her lap. She didn't really feel comfortable answering questions about a fellow employee and friend, but if it helped the officers get him back, then what other choice did she have?

"So, Miss Foul, how long have you known Mr Kempton for?" Nick started off, reading off a sheet of paper that was crumbled into his pocket. He'd never gotten the hang of questioning mammals, so Judy had written up a cheat sheet for him in case he ever needed it.

"A few years. He's been 'part of the company fer a while longer before I knew him, used ta be a paper boy and delivered adverts fer us."

"Alright." Judy started. "So, you knew Mr Kempton well?"

"Oh yeh. We hung out a lot outside work. He'd tell meh everythang that was happenin' and if he was feelin' uncomfortable." Samantha explained. "I was his shoulder to cra on, and he was mine." The officers wrote this down, Judy in particular whom had brought a note pad with her. Nick on the other hand just mentally kept the information stored in his mind… at least as long as he could.

"Following up from that, do you know if Doran was having any troubles at home? Perhaps with family or other employees that might have made him want to go into hiding?" The bunny persisted.

"Not at all. He was a very happy mammal, loved his family and friends more than anyone I know." The vixen sighed lightly. "I cain't think of one mammal that he may have ticked off, or been ticked off by."

Judy looked up at her partner, who seemed to have the same trail of thought as she did. They were getting nowhere with this information. Sure, personality and trait wise they were getting plenty, but no leads were surfacing from finding out that Doran was a kind and gentle wolf. They needed another way to find out.

"Ma'am," Nick sat straighter in his chair. "Thank you for your time, we've found out all we've needed to know." Samantha nodded politely.

"No problem, officers. If y'all need anythang, you have a friend at The Fox and Hound Tearoom."


End file.
